Lets talk food is all about, well as is obvious, FOOD. I am mostly clueless about life and its many trappings and trimmings but one thing I am clued in about is food. This blog is all about my tumultuous relationship and crazy love for food.

Tuesday, 30 December 2014

Mad about Melbourne

Hi Guys, This post is my entry for a contest by Tourism Victoria on IndiBlogger.in.All I had to do was answer this....and boy did I know exactly why!

What's your reason for falling in love with Melbourne, the most livable city in the world?

Wish me luck since this is the first contest I am entering as a blogger.

If I win the contest I could go on a trip to Melbourne! But there is something in it for you too. Read on

I still
have the pair of Koala Bear earrings my aunty Tutu brought me as a gift from
Australia when I was nine, may be ten, years old. Aunty Tutu is my mother’s
best friend who shifted to Australia after marriage, and her yearly visit to
India has been the top annual attraction of my childhood years. Aunty Tutu’s accounts
of life Down Under, the description of her suburban home on the outskirts of Melbourne,
the backyard barbecues and wild macaws that visited her garden from time to
time, are still brilliant and vivid in my memory. “Melbourne is the place to
be,” Aunty Tutu would state categorically, “you guys must visit us soon,” she
would urge my parents.

My
parents invariably made promises, assuring Aunty Tutu that a trip was on the
cards. They said it in such earnest that I too believed that I would be on a
plane to Melbourne soon. In my mind I had imagined chasing kangaroos on the
roads of Melbourne and cuddling Koala Bears in Aunty Tutu’s backyard. Come on I
was only a child. But that trip never happened.

However,
my desire to visit Australia, especially Melbourne, continued to linger at the
back of my mind. And now, right at the top of my Things-to-do-before-I-die list
is to explore Melbourne’s bustling food scene. Melbourne is all about gorgeous,
delectable food – from tiny cafes tucked in narrow lanes to chic fine dining
destinations, rustic backyard barbecues to groundbreaking culinary experiments
in Michelin starred kitchens, celebrity chefs and ingenuous rookies – Melbourne
has the world eating out of its palm. With a culinary fabric as rich, I have no
doubt that Melbourne is the most livable city on earth. Add to that a crazy
love of sports and the arts. In fact, I
say, it is the place to be.

My desire
to sit on that plane to Melbourne returned with a renewed vigour following my fixation
with the MasterChef Australia. The show of course needs no introduction. My
obsessive love for food is no secret, and MasterChef Australia is all about glorious
food. But that was not it. It was also about glorious judges, who in turn were
glorious chefs. My favourite – Gary, of course. Gary Mehigan is a gorgeous man
who cooks gorgeous food and one of the reasons why I would love to visit
Melbourne is to eat at Mehigan’s gorgeous restaurant in Moonee Pond - The Boathouse.
The food he serves is simple but stunning, just the way great food should be. I
would happy to sample a simple wood-fire pizza at Gary’s. And I can always hope
to bump into the man himself!

But The
Boathouse is only one glittering strand in Melbourne’s mind-boggling culinary
fabric. There are culinary giants like Shannon Bennett, Frank Camorra and
others taking the city’s gastronomic reality to fantastical heights. Oh how I
would love to crunch into Camorra’s signature Anchoa, hand-filleted Cantabrian
Artisan Anchovy on croutons with smoked tomato sorbet, sitting in his very own MoVida.
And what I could give to dine to a view like the one offered from Bennett’s Vue
de Monde, located on the 55th floor of the iconic 63 floors high
Rialto building.

It’s not just about, sophisticated gastronomy,
I cannot wait to explore the lanes of Melbourne to make my own culinary
discoveries that I would be proud of. Or spend an afternoon at one of the cafes
in the beautiful Federation Square. “Melbourne won’t disappoint you,” a friend
who has lived in Melbourne for a couple of years assures. Or merely explore the
fresh produce at local markets – the meats especially! The best part about the
city’s food culture, often dubbed as fickle, is its diversity. Melbourne has
food from all over the world and for all budgets.

And, between
all the eating in Melbourne, sneak in a
trip to the Yarra Valley to sample some superlative wine and with it some great
food. And while in the area why not hop onto the Puffing Billy, the century old
steam engine that chugs through the picturesque Dandenong Ranges. In fact, other than food, there are innumerable attractions in the city of Melbourne and its surroundings in Australia's south-eastern state of Victoria. Read more about it here.

And now a contest for my readers too. Answer this question and stand a chance to win a exciting gift voucher.

24 comments:

Answer - I would like to visit following places in Melbourne - 1) Yarra Valley on a Segway - I like such sports2) to see the street art - I like to see paintings3) to see the 12 apostles from the sky - watching from sky is always thrilling experience for me and I want to enjoy it.4) to see the Penguin Parade - I have never seen penguins and I would like to see them.I will enjoy it all.

Great post! After reading your post & watching all the videos, I’d most like to visit the Dandenong Ranges for it’s scenic beauty, breathtaking view and cool breeze blowing through my hair. :P I’d give anything away for driving through the winding roads which are present throughout the ranges. I’d love to stay at one of the bed and breakfast cottages and go on frequent excursions in the forests with my camera which provides excellent views. And not to forget the famous ride in the Puffing Billy, a day reserved especially for that. To add to that, there are also several picnic spots for me and my friends to spend a fun-filled day and the ranges are a perfect spot for hiking and cycling.

Wonderful post and interesting videos that make me feel thatMelbourne invites the eternal romantic in me to hold hands with my beloved and go see the Twelve Apostles .Go on long drives on the great ocean road. In the middle of nowhere in a vineyard spread a table and enjoy a meal and a glass of wine with my dear one. Enjoy the sunsets holding hands and do lots of shopping at the Queen Victoria Market and see all the graffiti being created at the hosier lane.Great Post and interesting videos watching them I am sure to visit Sovereign Hill for spending some time in the era gone by. The lure of gold and panning for some nuggets is a temptation that is too much to resist. After I have found the gold I am bound to celebrate it with some wine so I will visit the vineyards and enjoy some great wine from the Yarra region .Visit the Pannys Phillip Island Chocolate Factory and have my fill with this yummy delight. therisingstarz.blogspot.in/2014/12/melbourne-selfie-capital-of-australia.htmlhttp://goo.gl/ByJqvPtherisingstarz.blogspot.inhttp://goo.gl/59Omjz

Interesting PostAfter reading your post and watching all the videosI feel I have stepped into a kaleidoscope called MelbourneWhere Vistas of experiences would unfold one after anotherThe nature lover in me is enticed by the thought of watching the penguin parade.Traveling though the great ocean road, soaking up the freshness as the breeze ruffles my hair gets me in the mood to pack my bags for Melbourne.But before I can move ,Puffing Billy whistles and invites me for a ride. The kid in me jumps with joy at the thought of visiting Pannys Phillip Island Chocolate FactoryEven before I can deside on the list of places that I would like to see in and around Melbourne.What’s that noise that I hear ?Oh its loud cheer from MCG as the cricket world cup 2015 is about to kick start.So many plces to see and so much to do. I am thetimetraveler ( http://goo.gl/wdXDzu ) and I have decided … Melbourne here I come ( http://goo.gl/RvUCQf ).

Being a nature lover, Australian flora and fauna appeals to my inner senses. If I ever have a plan, I would like to explore the flora and fauna, quite unique to Australia. Maybe, cuddle a koala bear as well, in one of their national parks.

I am a kind of person who loves to live every second lively. And Melbourne is the most liveable city. My friends who work in Australia always say its the best place to live and work on this planet. So I always had that longing to visit the country. I am a big fan of Tea, and since Melbourne is known for Tea culture, I would love to have Afternoon tea at Murchie's Tea.. I love those Whale watching and would love to watch a movie in the extremely high resolution and the enormous screen of IMAX Victoria and treat my ears with the powerful sound. Finally, I would love to experience the land-and-sea tour by the Victoria Hippo Tours and Adrena LINE Zipline Adventure

Some of the most interesting places which I shortlisted to visit after watching Tanmay and Rohan's videos is here. This comment space would be very less in order to keep on giving the reasons to visit these places once in life, but I am trying to be as short and crisp as possible and these are the must visit places if at all I go to Melbourne in my life.

Yarra Valley for Great Day out and Excellent Wine Tasting tour which seems totally magical. Driving around Yarra Valley in a beautiful and breathtaking places seems like a great country getaway from Melbourne city and so much to see, visit and taste.

Going for a Seal Watching Cruise and Observing those inquisitive & graceful creatures close up, is a trip one will not forget I guess. It seems to be a totally a worthy place for young and old too. So many seals getting close to them could be an absolutely thrilling experience.

Another place I wouldn't want to miss is Sunny Ridge Strawberry farm for some AMAZING Strawberry ice cream and strawberries, it seems like a strawberry heaven with delicious, succulent and mouth watering strawberries ever. I am sure this place visit would be a great experience for the kids too.

Have you watched Penguins parade ? If not, I guess this is the place to visit which is Phillip Island Nature Park. The experience to watch these penguins is Out of this world, a must see for great experience and its awesome

for Animal lovers too. Its like cute litte faires coming in from Ocean. I guess, this is a MUST do experience when I am in Melbourne.

Are you a chocolate lover ? I guess Pannys Amazing World of Chocolate is a must visit place for enjoying some mouth watering chocolates. Also, just watching the huge waterfall of chocolate cascade down is breath taking. And watching the live chocolate making is fun.

If you are a drive freak and love to drive around in some scenic spots, this is the place to visit which is "The Great Ocean Road". Seems like it would be a Great tour, great food and fantastic view.

Some more places which I love to visit is Montalto Vineyard & Olive Grove, Loch Ard Gorge beach, Chateau Yering BBQ for some amazing Australian BBQ and definitely a hot air balloon ride for spectacular sightseeing and experience in life.

Hey ,Superb post ,so all set to pack bags to have a thrill at Melbourne,Now being high on my wish list .U’ve very well covered the best of Melbourne and for the entry in contest ,there cannot ever be a single place for me.It has to be a bouquet of places to calm down my zest to explore it.So naming ,first comes the Great Ocean road not just to linger or have a decent walk but to amaze myself with Jetskiing ,Scuba diving and to try swim with Dolphins,seal Yay,these beautiful creatures would be lucky to share a swim with me.ha ha.Then it would be Eureka Sky deck, to have an awe inspiring experience to be closest to sky and get the sky deck view of this liveable city, MCG to watch and cheer the players on one of the worlds best cricket ground!

All the best for the contest!I would love to visit the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the MCG. It had been a host to many legendary matches and I for one would like to visit one of them. The World Cup is so near and it is so dear to me and I want to witness the World Cup Finals that is going to happen at the MCG!

And how can I forget the Great Otway National Park, because I love watching animals. I would love to take a city tour by travelling on the Tram's of Melbourne. By travelling in tram's I want to explore every nook & corner of Melbourne. Besides this I would love to watch the amazing architectures of Melbourne like Eureka Tower, Royal Exhibition Building, etc. And without enjoying festivals, my journey would be incomplete so I will celebrate Australian Festivals.

Given a chance to visit Melbourne, I would absolutely make a run for Eureka Skydeck 88..Imagine the view of the city from such a great height of over 300 metres and while you are suspended in air in a glass box!This is an experience not to be missed and I hope I get a chance to visit Melbourne and go explore Eureka Skydeck 88 soon :)-Nikita @Njkinny's World of Books & Stuff